Buying or opening a gym in Spain: costs, payback and licences

An existing gym in Spain sells via traspaso for about €57,000 on average: half of 42 listings from 2025–2026 ranged from €37,500 to €117,500.

A Pilates or personal-training studio costs about €22,000, a 200–400 m² gym about €125,000. Opening a 200–600 m² gym from scratch costs €80,000–250,000.

Looking at a gym for sale in Spain?

Below: what a gym or studio costs as a traspaso, what is actually included (and which machines belong to the leasing company), what opening from scratch costs, which permits a gym needs given noise and vibration, whether trainers must be qualified, what a gym earns with staff paid under the collective agreement, how it is taxed and what to check before buying.

The page includes a payback calculator with an illustrative gym. We have reviewed other niches the same way: café or bar, restaurant, self-service laundromat.

What an existing gym costs

We reviewed 42 traspaso listings for gyms, boutique studios, CrossFit boxes and training centres (negociosenventa, Wallapop, tablondeanuncios, milanuncios, idealista, October 2026, listings from 2025–2026).

The median is about €57,000, the average about €84,000, and half the properties fall between €37,500 and €117,500. These are asking prices: they come down in a deal.

Price depends more on format than on city.

Pilates, yoga, EMS and personal-training studios sell for €21,750 on average, gyms under 200 m² for €45,000, 200–400 m² gyms for €124,500 and those over 400 m² for €170,000.

A typical property in the sample is about 235 m² at a rent of about €7.80 per m² a month; a traspaso costs on average 53 months’ rent, or about €330 per m².

Examples from the sample: a 40 m² Pilates studio with 45 clients in Seville’s Miraflores — €18,000 with rent of €350; a 300 m² gym licensed as a training centre in Aldaia near Valencia — €45,000 with rent of €586; a 229 m² boutique gym in Elche — €100,000 with rent of €1,895; a 500 m² gym in Valencia trading for over 10 years with about a hundred active clients — €110,000; a 225 m² boutique gym in Barcelona’s Sants — €210,000 with rent of €3,360; a 384 m² Pilates, functional training and café concept in Madrid with five staff — €250,000 with rent of €6,655.

Models: low-cost, boutique, CrossFit, Pilates

The market splits not by city but by model — and each one sells differently.

• Low-cost. 1,000–4,000 m² gyms with a €15–40 monthly fee. This is chain territory: according to España Activa and Deloitte, independent operators run 69% of centres, but chains hold 68% of members. Such gyms rarely appear as a traspaso, and a low-cost franchise costs €300,000–600,000.
• Boutique gym and training centre. 150–400 m², a €30–80 fee, group classes and personal training. This is the bulk of the sample: €100,000–250,000 in big cities, €45,000–60,000 in the provinces.
• Studio. Reformer Pilates, yoga, EMS or personal training in 40–150 m². Cheap to buy, but it rests on one or two trainers — often the seller. A branded reformer costs €2,000–5,000 per machine.
• CrossFit box. Often in an industrial unit (nave), with few machines and plenty of free weights. The sample includes a 260 m² box in the Maresme at €50,000 with turnover above €110,000 a year.
• Premium club. With a pool, spa and a €50–200 fee. Such clubs barely appear on listing sites; the closest in the sample is a boutique in Madrid’s Chamberí sold together with its company for €155,000.

What a gym traspaso sells

Legally, a traspaso is the assignment of the premises lease together with the fit-out, equipment and client base.

The seller’s company and the premises are not included, and the licence moves through a change of holder at the town hall. A gym deal has four particular features:

• Machines on renting or leasing. Some equipment belongs not to the seller but to a leasing company: the seller cannot sell it in a traspaso, and the contract passes to the buyer only with the lessor’s consent, along with the remaining payments. Renting €50,000–100,000 of equipment costs €1,000–3,000 a month. Not one listing in the sample mentions this — ask.
• Members, not revenue. Listings say “100 active clients” or “a database of 16,000 contacts”. What matters is how many members pay every month and how many leave. Direct debits are set up in the seller’s name, and some clients drop off when the payee changes.
• Prepaid memberships. Annual memberships and class packs have already been paid to the seller, but the buyer will serve those clients — the amount is deducted from the price.
• Franchise. If the gym trades under a chain’s brand, the sale needs the franchisor’s consent and follows its terms.

What it costs to open a gym in Spain

According to industry suppliers, a personal-training studio costs €15,000–40,000, a 50–150 m² boutique €25,000–80,000, and an independent 200–600 m² gym €80,000–250,000. The main items:

• Equipment — €35,000–120,000 for a mid-sized gym: strength machines €15,000–50,000, cardio €10,000–40,000, free weights €5,000–15,000, functional zone €2,000–8,000. The alternative is renting at €1,000–3,000 a month.
• Flooring and soundproofing — rubber flooring at €15–40 per m², insulation €2,000–15,000 depending on what is above and below the gym.
• Design and licences — €1,500–6,000: technician’s project, acoustic study, municipal fees.
• Rent and deposit — 300–500 m² premises cost €3,000–8,000 a month in Madrid and Barcelona and €1,500–3,500 in mid-sized cities; landlords ask for a 2–6 month deposit.
• Reserve — 6–12 months of fixed costs: a gym takes 18 months to two years to build its membership. How to size it is covered in Cash gap.

For a 300 m² gym, equipment, flooring, insulation and paperwork alone come to €43,000–153,000 — more than the median traspaso.

The argument for buying an existing gym: noise already legalised and members already signed up. The argument against: worn machines and churn the seller does not show.

Which permits a gym needs

Spain’s retail liberalisation law (Ley 12/2012), which replaces licences with a declaration for shops and some services up to 750 m², does not apply to gyms: sports facilities (group 967) are not in its annex.

Opening is governed by regional laws and municipal ordinances, and for a gym the key issue is noise and vibration from free weights, treadmills and music in group classes.

• Valencian Community. Gyms are listed in the public-establishments law: you open on a declaration with a technician’s project, a completion certificate and insurance, with a town-hall inspection within a month (Ley 14/2010, annex item 2.3.4 and art. 9); venues for more than 500 people need an authorisation (art. 10). Valencia’s noise ordinance puts gyms without background music in group III with a design noise level of 85 dBA; in a residential building the floors and party walls must provide 60 dBA of insulation by day and 65 dBA at night, and machines whose vibration can be felt without instruments are prohibited (arts. 21.5, 56 and 57). A gym playing music in classes risks a stricter group — the same as pubs.
• Madrid. Since 2022 the OLDRUAM ordinance applies: the main regime is a declaration, with a licence only where there are risks to safety, health, the environment or heritage. An acoustic study is needed here too.
• Catalonia and Andalusia. The opening regime is set by regional law and the specific town hall’s ordinances; confirm it before the deal, together with the rules on trainers covered below.

When buying an existing gym, check which activity the licence covers: a gym, a training centre, a dance school and a studio with music are different activities with different insulation requirements.

Do gym trainers need qualifications?

There is no national law on sports professions, but most large regions have their own, and under it a gym instructor is a regulated profession.

• Catalonia. An instructor in gyms and fitness centres must hold a sports science degree (CAFE) or the higher technician diploma in physical and sports activities (TSAAFD) and be entered in the Catalan register of sports professionals; companies offering these services are also liable for breaches (Ley 3/2008, arts. 4.2, 8.1 and 13.3).
• Madrid. A fitness instructor needs a CAFE degree, TSAAFD or the higher technician diploma in fitness, and the gym owner must clearly display trainers’ qualifications to clients (Ley 6/2016, arts. 14.1 and 25.3).
• Andalusia. Working as a gym instructor requires a CAFE degree or TSAAFD (Ley 5/2016, art. 93.2), but the law phases the requirement in as sports diplomas become available and allows qualification to be proven by experience (transitional provision 6).
• Valencian Community. A fitness instructor needs one of four higher technician diplomas or a CAFE degree, and the gym owner is responsible for meeting these requirements when hiring and must show clients the trainers’ qualifications (Ley 2/2022, arts. 13.1 and 24.5).

The takeaway for a buyer is simple: the trainers transfer with the gym, and their diplomas are as much a checklist item as the licence. If the owner teaches classes, the owner needs a diploma too.

What a gym earns

According to DBK, Spain has about 4,600 fitness centres, and in 2025 they sold about €1.65bn of services — 10% more than a year earlier; Madrid, Catalonia and Andalusia account for almost 60% of centres.

EuropeActive and Deloitte counted 7.1 million members, up 8.3% in a year.

Suppliers put gym profitability at 10–30% of revenue and annual member retention at 60–70%: a third of clients must be replaced every year.

Staff costs are set by the collective agreement.

Under the national collective agreement for sports facilities and gyms, a single-discipline instructor and a receptionist are in group 4: in 2025 their base salary is €1,162.85 a month, 14 times a year, €16,279.89 in total; no 2026 tables have been published.

The 2026 minimum wage is €17,094 a year, so a full-time position now costs at least that.

Employer contributions for sports activities in 2026 add about 33.65%: one trainer costs the gym about €22,850 a year, around €1,900 a month.

Gym payback calculator

The calculator holds an illustrative independent 300 m² gym with a strength area, cardio and a group-class studio: a €100,000 traspaso (above the sample median but below the median for gyms this size) plus €20,000 to refresh machines and check the insulation.

Revenue is €13,500 a month excluding VAT: about 380 members at €40 including VAT plus personal training.

Consumables, bank fees and management software 5%, staff €4,800 a month (two trainers and a part-time receptionist; the owner manages without a salary), rent €2,300 a month, other costs (power and air conditioning, water and showers, renting part of the machines, servicing, insurance, accountant, marketing) €2,500 a month.

Pre-tax profit is €38,700 a year, about €31,300 after tax, and the €120,000 investment pays back in about 3.8 years.

Two caveats. First, almost all of a gym’s costs are fixed, so churn hits profit hard.

If revenue falls by 10%, pre-tax profit drops from €38,700 to €23,310; by 15%, to €15,615. Break-even is about €10,100 of revenue a month, roughly 300 members.

Second, the model has no salary for the owner, who works as the manager; hire a manager at the top group of the collective agreement and after-tax profit falls to about €9,800, stretching payback to 12 years.

How to read this figure and what to compare it with is covered in Payback period.

Take revenue from bank statements, membership-software reports and VAT returns (modelo 303), not from the seller’s word.

For how sellers justify a price, see How to value a business for sale.

Taxes: VAT and modules

• VAT. Memberships and training at a commercial gym are taxed at the standard 21% rate (art. 90 Ley 37/1992): the only sport left on the 10% reduced-rate list is amateur sports events, and the exemption applies only to public bodies, federations and social-purpose sports entities (arts. 91 and 20.Uno.13.º). A cut to 10% for gyms has been debated for years, but as of October 2026 the law says 21%. A €40 membership brings the gym €33 of revenue.
• Modules. In 2026 the objective assessment regime (módulos) is open only to “sports schools and coaching services” (heading 967.2) with up to 3 employees; the annual base is €14,215.95 per working owner, €7,035.55 per employee and €34.01 per m² of premises. An ordinary gym as a sports facility (967.1) is not covered. Example studio: owner, one employee and 120 m² — about €25,300 of base a year before depreciation and reducing coefficients.
• Module limit. Modules are available with previous-year revenue up to €250,000 — that is the tax agency’s position, although parliament has not ratified the decrees extending these limits.
• SL. A gym owned by an SL pays corporate tax: in 2026, with turnover under €1m, 19% on the first €50,000 of profit and 21% above. How to take profit out is covered in Salary or dividends from a Spanish SL.

What to check before buying a gym

1. The lease. A business tenant may assign the lease without the landlord’s consent, but the landlord may raise the rent by 20% and must be notified within a month (art. 32 LAU). The lease may prohibit assignment or change these terms (art. 4.3 LAU). A gym is built into its premises — flooring, insulation, showers — so the remaining lease term matters even more than for a café.
2. Licence, noise and vibration. Who holds the licence and for which activity, whether there is an acoustic study and whether neighbours have complained. In the Valencian Community a change of holder is notified to the town hall within a month of the deal, and both parties sign the notice (Ley 14/2010, art. 12).
3. Equipment. A list of machines marked “owned / renting / leasing”, the contracts and remaining payments, year of manufacture and service log.
4. Members and churn. Paying members month by month for 2–3 years, churn, the total of prepaid memberships. Transferring the client base with the business is lawful: such data processing is presumed lawful, and if the deal falls through the buyer must delete the data immediately (art. 21 LOPDGDD).
5. Debts and staff. The buyer of a trading business is liable for the seller’s tax debts (art. 42.1.c LGT) unless they obtain a tax-debt certificate before the deal, issued within 3 months (art. 175.2 LGT); for Social Security debts (art. 168.2 LGSS); employees transfer with all their rights, and seller and buyer are jointly liable for wage debts for 3 years (art. 44 ET). For a gym that means trainers and receptionists — ask for a staff list with contracts, seniority and diplomas.
6. VAT on the deal. Selling a whole business able to operate on its own is outside VAT (art. 7.1 Ley 37/1992); a mere assignment of rights and assets usually carries 21% VAT — structure the deal with a tax lawyer.

How an existing business is checked before you pay a deposit is described on our traspaso audit page; if you are buying the company that owns the gym, you need full due diligence.

If you are moving to Spain for this business

A non-resident can buy a gym, but a non-EU citizen can live in Spain and run it personally only with a residence permit — usually a self-employment permit, for one year at first.

The golden visa has been abolished, and the startup visa does not suit an ordinary business of this kind.

How the self-employment permit works and how it differs from an employment permit is covered by Relotus in «Cuenta propia in Spain».

The sensible order is to confirm the permit first and only then pay a deposit.

If you plan to teach classes yourself, check in advance whether the region recognises your trainer qualification.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to buy a gym in Spain?

In a sample of 42 listings from 2025–2026, a gym traspaso costs about €57,000 on average, with half between €37,500 and €117,500. A Pilates or personal-training studio costs about €22,000, a 200–400 m² gym about €125,000, and in Madrid about €130,000. These are asking prices.

How much does it cost to open a gym in Spain?

A personal-training studio costs €15,000–40,000, a 50–150 m² boutique €25,000–80,000, and an independent 200–600 m² gym €80,000–250,000. The main items are equipment, flooring and soundproofing, design and licences, a rent deposit and a reserve covering six to twelve months of costs.

Do you need qualified trainers to open a gym in Spain?

In Catalonia, Madrid, the Valencian Community and Andalusia a gym instructor is a regulated profession: a sports science degree or a higher technician diploma in physical activity is required. In Catalonia and the Valencian Community the gym itself is also liable for breaches.

What VAT does a gym charge in Spain?

A commercial gym charges 21% VAT on memberships. There is no 10% reduced rate for gyms, although it has been debated for years, and the exemption applies only to public and social-purpose sports organisations.

Can you buy a gym with leased equipment?

Yes, but machines on renting or leasing belong to the leasing company: the seller cannot sell them, and the contract passes to the buyer only with the lessor’s consent, along with the remaining payments. Ask for an equipment list showing what is owned.

How much does a gym make in Spain?

In the illustrative example, a 300 m² gym with €162,000 of revenue a year and three staff makes about €31,300 after tax if the owner manages it personally. Suppliers put gym profitability at 10–30% of revenue.

What is the payback period for a gym?

In the illustrative example, about 3.8 years with the owner working as manager. Almost all of a gym’s costs are fixed: if revenue falls by 15%, pre-tax profit shrinks by a factor of 2.5.

Key points about buying a gym in Spain

• A gym traspaso costs about €57,000 on average; a studio about €22,000, a 200–400 m² gym about €125,000; Madrid is the most expensive.
• Opening an independent 200–600 m² gym from scratch costs €80,000–250,000; machines, flooring and insulation alone cost more than the median traspaso.
• The key items in the deal are a licence with legalised noise, the remaining lease term and which machines are owned and which are leased.
• In many regions a gym instructor needs a qualification, and the gym is liable for breaches.
• VAT is 21%, modules apply only to small sports schools; payback in the example is about 3.8 years, but member churn quickly stretches it.

Sources

• Ley 12/2012 — BOE; Ley 14/2010 of the Valencian Community — alicante.es; Valencia noise ordinance — sede.valencia.es.
• Sports professions laws: Catalonia, Ley 3/2008 — BOE; Madrid, Ley 6/2016 — BOE; Andalusia, Ley 5/2016 — BOE; Valencian Community, Ley 2/2022 — BOE.
• LAU, arts. 4 and 32 — BOE; LGT, arts. 42 and 175 — BOE; Workers’ Statute, art. 44 — BOE; Ley 37/1992 (VAT) — BOE; LOPDGDD, art. 21 — BOE.
• Orden HAC/1425/2025 (modules for 2026) — BOE; Orden PJC/297/2026 (contributions) — BOE; RD 126/2026 (minimum wage) — BOE.
• V national collective agreement for sports facilities and gyms — BOE.
• Market: DBK, “Gimnasios” (January 2026) — dbk.es; EuropeActive and Deloitte (April 2026) — europeactive.eu; España Activa and Deloitte (April 2026) — Europa Press; start-up cost benchmarks — plandenegocio.es, fitnova, L’Express Franchise.
• Gym traspaso listings — negociosenventa, Wallapop, tablondeanuncios, milanuncios, idealista, October 2026.